Hello and welcome to Living In The Lehigh Valley, a health and wellness show for everyone.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

Coming up on this episode, it's a crisis right here in our own community, the need for life-saving blood supplies.

What hospitals and blood banks are doing.

Plus, healing through massage.

Whether you are suffering from chronic pain or just need to relieve some stress, we'll dive into the world of medical massage and see what a few minutes of rest and relaxation can do for your overall health.

And a winter wonderland.

Easton's Winter Village is more than shopping and the Peace Candle.

Some activities to help you get out and about.

But first, in the spirit of gift giving, our own Grover Silcox is here to report on one of the most important gifts of all, Grover.

Great to see you.

- Good to be here.

- And this is the gift of life.

- It is.

Blood.

- Yes.

And there's a dire need right now.

- Absolutely.

- There is a critical shortage.

And hospital blood banks, trauma centers are very concerned.

- And this is something that any of us, a resource any of us could use or need at any moment.

- Absolutely.

- The pandemic has caused a global shortage because donors are not coming out like they did before Covid.

And according to the American Red Cross, donor turnout has decreased 10% since August, the lowest it's been since 2015.

Also, Americans are now seeking surgeries which they had put off during quarantining.

More people leaving home also means more accidents and traumas, needing emergency blood transfusions and other such services.

This is a global problem that has also touched us locally.

These blood donors will never know the people whose lives they save with their precious blood.

The challenge is getting more donors to join them at a time when many who normally would donate are staying home because of the pandemic.

- We really need people to volunteer to donate blood.

- As medical director of Millard Keystone Blood Centre, Dr Kip Kuttner voices concern over a diminishing blood supply.

- Right now, I feel like we are teetering on a point at which it will take one bad accident or two bad accidents and there will be no blood to send to a hospital.

- Miller Keystone serves as a pipeline for blood to every hospital in the Lehigh Valley region.

- Our inventory currently is 20 to 30% of what it should be to have an ideal inventory of red blood cells.

In order for the hospitals to do many of the complicated procedures that they do, whether it be, you know, heart bypass surgery, whether it be managing liver cancer, whether it be chemotherapy, managing pregnancies, blood has to be available.

- Over the last couple of years, our blood supply has been a little less consistent than normal.

- Dr Matt McCambridge and Warren Behr manage and monitor the blood received from regional blood banks for many of the 71,000 surgeries performed annually at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

- We know that the people who tend to be a little bit older, more than 65, they tend to be more frequent donors.

And that's been an issue over the last two years with Covid, it's been difficult for those people to get out of the house.

- We've known that these situations would be in our future.

And so for years now, we have practiced these techniques to minimize blood loss, to maximize the patient's output of their own blood, so that we could be prepared for situations like this.

- LVHN has adopted and developed enhanced methods and technology to provide blood or perform bloodless surgery for patients undergoing major procedures.

- The science has changed so that we're using less blood, we're transfusing less blood, and then we're waiting until the lower levels.

So and then in addition to that, what's kind of come along with that is things like the cell saver machine, medications to help raise up the blood counts, medications to help thicken the blood if need be.

- Advanced technology such as the cell saver has enabled surgeons at LVHN to recycle a patient's own blood.

- One of the great things about the cell saver is it's happening in real time.

The blood is coming out.

They suck it up and it goes to the machine and then its processing goes right back right there in the operating room.

- Blood management methods help maintain hospital blood supplies, but the fundamental need for an adequate reserve of all blood groups and products remains critical.

- There is a group A, a group O, a group B and a group AB, and then there's also the RH system.

Most of the time, it's extraordinarily important to make sure that the recipient of the blood, their blood group, is compatible with the blood that they're receiving.

- Unlike groups A, B and AB, O is considered the Universal Group.

- That's the importance of blood group O.

It can be transfused to virtually any recipient.

Initially, when a person suffers major injuries and they come to the hospital, we might not know what their blood group is.

So initially they are going to get group O blood.

- On this day, Dr Kuttner and his staff are pleased to see a steady flow of donors.

- Today I was able to donate.

As a nurse, as an RN, I understand that there is a blood shortage and I want to help out in any way that I can.

- Tiffany Henning works for the Greater Valley YMCA, which has adopted Miller Keystone for the month of November to encourage the community to donate blood.

- I am a first time blood donor.

It was seamless.

It was fast.

- I was probably done in like six, seven minutes.

The nice staff here gave me a Coke to sip on and I lounged on a nice recliner and they made it very comfortable and it was painless.

- A whole blood donor gives a pint of blood, and platelet donors, two pints.

The blood goes to the blood banks lab, where it's primarily separated into red cells, white cells, plasma and platelets.

- There is a misconception that the blood goes into the bag and then is sent to the hospital.

The blood actually goes back to the laboratory where it's filtered to remove white blood cells.

And then there are also very, very important coagulation proteins that are in the plasma as well.

We also collect platelets.

Platelets are the things that start the coagulation cascade, preventing clotting.

- Miller Keystone, like other major blood banks, has adopted precautions for donors and staff during the current pandemic so that giving remains a comfortable and safe experience.

In this uncertain time, the one thing that is certain is the need for blood.

- This is a very, very difficult time for everybody.

And the quality of medicine that's practiced in the Lehigh Valley really depends on having blood available.

- So we're going to continue to be good stewards with this precious resource.

Hospitals really can't run without the blood.

It's an incredible gift that we're given from the people in our community.

- As Dr Kuttner said, the quality of medical and health care in the Lehigh Valley is high, but it requires an adequate blood supply to maintain that standard.

The American Red Cross, which supplies 40% of the nation's blood, reminds us, quote, that a single blood donation can help save more than one life.

A teen who was in an accident, a grandfather in need of heart surgery, a friend being treated for cancer or a child with sickle cell disease.

- And Grover, it's so easy to give blood as well.

I went through the process a couple of years ago for a story here at PBS39 to show how easy it is.

It really is simple.

It takes about an hour, total process, but it's so easy to do.

- Exactly.

And there is such a need right now.

And we have felt it right here in the Lehigh Valley.

In fact, Dr Kuttner at Miller Keystone, the blood bank, said that he got a call from a friend, a doctor at a hospital in Bermuda who was calling begging him for type O blood.

And unfortunately, he didn't have enough to give him.

And I know he felt very bad about it, but that's where they are right now.

- And that's what the need is like right now, especially type O. I know they're always asking for type O blood because I get those text messages from this organization to give blood.

- Right.

So it behooves all of us to really start thinking about it.

And if folks want to find out more about donating blood right now, they can call... - It's as easy as that.

And they help you schedule it and work around your schedule so that they can help you donate.

Grover Silcox, as always, a pleasure seeing you.

- Thank you, Brittany.

- Well, the holiday season can be stressful, which can take a toll on the body.

One local massage therapist says orthopedic massage can help ease those aches and pains without medicine or even surgery.

- Hi, Brian, how are you today?

- Good.

How are you?

- Good.

Tell me what's going on.

What do we need to work on?

- Emergency medical personnel like Berks County EMTs Brian and Missy Szabo have jobs that take a toll on their bodies.

- We spent a lot of our time hunched over on a bench, working on people or kneeling on the ground.

So we're not in the greatest of positions when we do our jobs.

- The Sinking Spring couple both say the job duties cause physical pain.

- There's even been one or two episodes where from lifting someone who's much heavier than normal, where I've injured my hamstrings or back and could literally not put on my shoes.

- That's why they go for a medical massage every other week.

- It helps not only loosen the muscles, but kind of keep them healthy for me and it helps me recover after lifting four or five times a week for 12 hours a day.

- People think that this has a lot to do with, you know, getting older.

It has nothing to do with age.

It has to do with what we've done to our bodies as we do our jobs.

- Sandy Wagner owns Sensory Concepts in Wyomissing and specializes in orthopedic massage, which is similar to physical therapy and targets specific problem areas.

- That's basically all about structural balance.

- So people come to me when their quality of life has been compromised.

A lot of times people will come to me when they've exhausted all other avenues of different types of therapy.

- Wagner says everything is an overuse injury.

- It's people that are dealing with chronic pain every single day that are getting on my table.

So it could be plantar fascia, could be frozen shoulder, frozen hip.

Carpal tunnel is a big one.

- She says the pain comes when you're engaging a muscle and tightening it over and over again without stretching it out.

- So it's all a matter of getting at the source of a problem, releasing the muscles that are causing the pain and getting the muscles balanced out.

- She's even been able to keep people off of the operating table, like Cindy Kurtz of Motin, who was diagnosed with carpal tunnel in 2019.

Kurtz's doctor suggested surgery, but she tried orthopedic massage first.

- And I started coming like every other week and then every three weeks and every month.

And now it's 2021.

And I still didn't have surgery.

- She says through massage, her pain has subsided.

- She started working on me and I became pain free.

I didn't have the numbness.

I was like, yay!

- Wagner says many times those kinds of issues have their roots in emotional trauma.

She says once she and a client figure out that connection, the muscles often start to loosen up.

She begins with an assessment on each client.

And of course, I had to give it a try.

- And for now, I'm just going to do a quick assessment.

I want to check the muscles attaching to your pelvic bone.

- I quickly learned that I too could use some work on my muscles.

- Let me have you bend your left knee and lift this leg off the table as far as you can go comfortably.

OK, so your muscle is tight.

You have about half of the range of motion.

You should have for hip extension.

- Wagner says neglecting to work on these problem areas could cause problems down the line, even when doing everyday tasks like turning your head to merge while driving.

- So you have good range of motion for your rotation and then look at me and drop your ear to your shoulder.

Now, did I feel uncomfortable to you?

- Yes, a little bit.

- You should be able to put your ear in your shoulder without hiking your shoulder.

And people are amazed when I say that.

A lot of people come in for one situation or one problem and they don't realize they have other problems or other issues.

So when I'm working on them, it's comments like, well, I didn't know I had that problem there.

Sensory Concepts does not take insurance, but in some cases, clients are able to submit a receipt to their provider.

Wagner says in most cases, clients start to see a difference in just one session.

- We have a lot of people that have said, you know, we've given them their life back.

- And that's why people like the Zsabos keep coming back.

- I love what I do in the medical field.

- And in order for me to keep doing that, especially as the older that I get, the more help I need, so to speak, and being able to stay in my career a longer time frame.

- I have full range of motion when I leave.

So it's a good thing.

- That's the best part of this, that people can learn how to manage the muscles in their bodies and be healthy.

It's a wonderful thing.

- Wagner says sometimes medical massage is combined with chiropractic measures or physical therapy.

She says her clients range in age from teenagers to people in their 90s.

Well, up next, this time of year, the city of Easton in Northampton County transforms its downtown into a winter wonderland.

The towering Peace Candle may be the centerpiece, but in its shadow this year is a patch of ice, or something like it, that's drawing a lot of attention.

- Easton Winter Village is Christmas town.

- Who has to go to New York City when we come here?

It's just lovely, just lovely.

- The kids aren't wet.

They're not full of dirt.

Ice.

It's good.

It's a good environment, especially for the kids.

- When the concept for Winter Village came up and the city just started to discuss those details, it was a no brainer to bring in the ice skating rink.

It's an attraction that draws people.

I think people's first impression is, is that really a skating rink, is that ice, what is that?

It's interesting to feel, it does feel like an ice rink.

It's not as harsh.

And I think it's good for my beginners, my little ones.

- Our rink is actually not made of ice.

It is a synthetic ice.

There's no prerequisite for coming to the skating rink.

If you don't know how to skate, that's OK. You can learn down here.

We have people of all skill levels on the rink.

Building the skating rink takes a few days.

There's a platform that has to be laid down, built and laid down on the surface of the street to make sure that the rink itself is level.

And once they have that down and that is level, then they start to put the skating rink together.

It's kind of like a puzzle.

Our skating rink is 45 by 90 this year.

So the maintenance is a little different.

There's no Zamboni here, just a leaf blower.

It also doesn't matter how warm the temperatures get, you can still skate on a synthetic rink.

But we use the same kind of skates.

The capacity is actually 110, which seems like a lot for that space and in light of wanting our folks to have a positive and fun experience, our capacity for the skating rink this year is 50.

Whether it's easier to skate on this ice versus real ice, it depends on who you ask.

- The synthetic ice was definitely more slippery than real ice.

It feels like you're on an escalator, I guess.

- First, you felt like you were just walking and it wasn't soothing.

But as you got used to it, it felt like, you know, when you got the technique down, it felt great.

It was really fun, really fun.

And I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow.

- There's a lot of work that has gone into it, and the city of Easton has just done an amazing job with putting all of this together.

It provides a wonderful opportunity for families to get outside, be in a festive environment and have a little bit of fun.

- The falling is the most important moment, because you fall, you get back up and then you just learn, that's how you learn how to skate.

- That looks like so much fun, and that's a good life lesson, too, when you fall down, you get back up.

If you're planning to visit Easton's Winter Village, it's open weekends through December 19th.

Hours are Friday, 4-8pm., Saturdays, noon to 8pm and Sundays, noon to six.

And with us now is someone very familiar with downtown Easton, the Greater Easton Development Partnership works with the city to boost business and promote all it has to offer.

The Winter Village is part of all of that.

Kelly Huth is communications coordinator for GEDP.

Kelly, thank you so much for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

- So the Winter Village is actually in its second year.

So let's go back to the beginning.

How did this all come about?

- So this was an idea that Mayor Panto had in 2020, and it was really a response to the pandemic and a way to support local businesses in Easton.

So GEDP and the city partner on this event.

And it's a way to bring people downtown, have some family friendly holiday fun, have an ice skating rink and there's just such a nice feel to it.

There's twinkle lights in the trees.

You can walk around with a nice cup of cocoa as you finish your shopping.

It's a fun place to be.

- It sounds magical.

We're going to talk about the skating rink in just a couple of minutes.

But before that, can you tell us what else there is to offer?

What is there to do when you're visiting the Winter Village?

- So there's live entertainment every weekend of the village this holiday season.

And you can find that EastonWinterVillage.com.

We've got strolling characters, carolers, ice carvers, Cinderella carriage rides, and for little ones this year, we actually have a holiday story walk.

So Easton Main Street initiative partnered with the Easton Public Library and we have pages of Ezra Jack Keats The Snowy Day spread throughout shop windows in nine downtown Easton shops.

So if you have a little ones with you and you want to keep them entertained, you can have them follow along with the story as you shop.

- So cute.

It sounds like it's family friendly and fun for people of all ages.

Really.

- Yes, definitely.

- As I mentioned, the skating rink.

So tell us about that.

Have you tried it?

What do people need to know about the skating rink?

- I've tried it and it's a lot of fun.

As you said, if you fall, get right back up.

It is bigger this year.

It has little twinkle lights overhead.

And it's a great time.

- So Winter Village is only one of the projects that GEDP has going on.

So can you tell us about what else is going on this season?

- So GEDP is a volunteer led non-profit and we run the programs of Easton farmers market, Easton Public Market, Easton Main Street Initiative, Westword Community Initiative, Easton Community Gardens, a whole bunch of programs, too many to list.

This holiday season we have a number of promotions designed to support our local retailers.

We're heavily involved with the Peace Candle lighting and the Easton Winter Village.

We also have the holiday story walk and we have a number of shopping promotions.

So as you visit the Easton Winter Village, if you share three receipts from downtown Easton retailers at our Info Hut at the Easton Winter Village, you can enter the Share the Joy contest.

So we'll be giving out downtown Easton gift cards for anybody that enters.

And our grand prize winner at the end of December will get a $200 gift card and a full set of eight Easton historic ornaments.

- I love a good contest.

So that's three receipts that you have to save.

- Three or more receipts from downtown Easton businesses.

- Great.

All right.

And in addition to Winter Village, of course, GEDP runs Easton Public Market.

What's new with the market?

- So the market is my favorite place to start for holiday shopping.

So not only do we have everything you need for your holiday table and fresh local ingredients, of course, but great gift ideas.

We have local spirits, local art and just gift baskets and lots of yummy things.

14 gourmet vendors.

And also, if you ever have a night where you just don't feel like cooking any more, let them do the cooking, delicious food.

- And so how is the market doing to fill a void in the downtown area?

- It's doing wonderfully.

It's a community driven market and a gathering space.

And we're so happy just to be welcoming people back into the market, especially this holiday season.

And it's a great place to stop in.

When you visit the Winter Village and you need to warm up a little bit, you can step into the market and visit with some of our vendors.

- So that's some indoor fun and shopping.

There's also some outdoor fun and shopping at the farmer's market, more of a food source, if you will.

And that's at Scott Park, it just moved.

Correct?

- So it moved in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

Scott Park allowed us a little bit more space to be socially distant.

And it also still allowed us a way of supporting our local farmers and producers, which is very important.

We'll be at Scott Park through December 18th and then the winter market kicks off January eighth, and for that we'll be in Center Square.

And the nice thing about this year is will be there every Saturday, ten to 12 through April.

- I know you just mentioned the pandemic.

How have all of these different events been impacted by the pandemic?

And what's it like now almost two years into this?

- Well, the pandemic has certainly been challenging for everyone, it's forced us to pivot and rethink how we do certain things.

But GEDP very early on started with a number of promotions designed to help small business owners and restaurants.

We launched a SupportEaston.com website, which listed all of the restaurants and shops that were offering online stores, curb-side pick-up, online classes.

We also offered a number of social promotions where we did a feastin' in Easton, curb-side first and just a number of other things that we did to support local businesses.

- Sure.

And so how did local businesses, small businesses in Easton and the restaurants there, how did they fare through all of it, would you say?

- I think the neat part about the Easton business community is how they collaborate with each other.

They're very supportive.

So one of the things that I was happy to see, and I know our team was just thrilled to see during the pandemic, is businesses really stepping up and taking care of each other.

So there were instances where if somebody couldn't get an online store up quick enough, another business stepped up to fill the void and sell some of their products.

And you saw that across the city.

There was just such a feeling of, we're in this together.

And they were very supportive.

So I think they've really evolved and met the challenges of the pandemic and they've come out even stronger.

- Sure.

Of course tourism, people are coming back to the city.

This is happening across the country.

People are coming back out since the pandemic.

Are you seeing that resurgence, are you seeing people really rally around these businesses?

- We are.

We're seeing that the community and visitors are very supportive of small shops and they're encouraged by the shop, local shop, small.

And yeah, we really are seeing that this year.

- And the downtown area is such a big draw for people.

What else can they see when they're visiting Easton?

- Well, a lot of people told us last year when they visited the Winter Village for the first time, that it felt like you were walking onto a Hallmark movie set, which was always a fun thing to hear.

We've got twinkle lights in the trees and live music.

There's arts paths that you can take if you just want to have a nice walk outside and enjoy the weather.

We've got the ice skating rink and just a number of promotions to keep people active and entertained this year.

- Sure.

Kelly, what role does GEDP play in festivals like Bacon Fest and those types of fun things?

- So that's the fun part of the job.

So GEDP runs PA Bacon Fest and Heritage Day and a number of other festivals and free programs throughout the year.

We love supporting the city and we love celebrating the history of Easton and showing visitors all that it has to offer.

So it's always a busy time of year because we go right from Bacon Fest to holiday season, so.

- It sounds like a really fun time.

If folks want to visit Winter Fest, which is going on now, how can they do so?

What's the best way to plan ahead?

- I would suggest visiting ShopDowntownEaston.com, which will have a list of our retailers and restaurants and the list of events happening throughout the city and then also visiting EastonWinterVillage.com, which will have your live entertainment schedule and some of the features that are specific to the village.

- It sounds like so much fun.

Kelly Huth of the Greater Easton Development Partnership, some great things happening in Easton.

Thank you so much for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

This was fun.

- Absolutely.

And on the next episode of Living In The Lehigh Valley, a car accident almost cost a local woman her leg.

But a medical breakthrough was able to save her from amputation and help her walk again.

We'll hear from the doctor about new technology creating medical miracles, but that will do it for this episode of Living In The Lehigh Valley.

We hope you'll join us next time.

I'm Brittany Sweeney hoping you stay happy and healthy.